What can we do about the high male suicide rate?

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Yigeren
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06 Feb 2016, 4:07 pm

I'm picking up on a very misogynistic undertone to his messages. I don't appreciate it at all. It's extremely counter-productive to real discussion. Blaming women for men's failure to communicate is not going to change anything, or solve any problems.

The reasons for the way men feel and communicate are actually complex and can't be blamed on one thing in particular. It's partly because of various aspects of society, and partly due to biological differences. And some men may just have alexithymia, or psychological issues that get in the way.

Women are not the primary cause for the miseries of men, just like men aren't the primary cause of the miseries of women.



0_equals_true
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06 Feb 2016, 4:11 pm

Who do women trust to talk about this kind of stuff.

I have had women emotionally unload to me, however the common factor was usually drink.

I find people are generally guarded, until it is something they are ready to tell anyone. People book appointments for anything in between.

Really open people tend to freak people out.



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06 Feb 2016, 4:12 pm

Yigeren wrote:
Women are not the primary cause for the miseries of men, just like men aren't the primary cause of the miseries of women.


Agreed.



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06 Feb 2016, 4:20 pm

Empathy is highly selective.

I remember being on a evening train. This woman started balling her eyes out just in the opposite seat. Most of the the passenger around were awkwardly looking away, trying to pretend it wasn't happening. I don't blame them tbh.

It was clear that she was a little drunk. However I feel compelled to talk to here despite bad social anxiety at the time.

I remember talking about this to my therapist at the time as i was trying to make sense of social interaction.



Sabreclaw
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06 Feb 2016, 4:21 pm

Only reason I became open about my feelings was that they led me to failing University, so I could no longer hide the truth from my parents. It was either spill the beans or suffer mother's wrath for being a lazy little s**tbag. The idea of having mental illnesses is embarrassing and I'm deeply ashamed that I haven't been able to put mind over matter. And now that I'm semi-officially autistic (psychologist diagnosis, not psychiatrist), I feel ashamed about that too.

Killing myself would have saved face. It's too late to avoid being the laughing stock of my family now though. Now it'd just make me seem weak.



Deltaville
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06 Feb 2016, 4:24 pm

Sabreclaw wrote:
Only reason I became open about my feelings was that they led me to failing University, so I could no longer hide the truth from my parents. It was either spill the beans or suffer mother's wrath for being a lazy little s**tbag. The idea of having mental illnesses is embarrassing and I'm deeply ashamed that I haven't been able to put mind over matter. And now that I'm semi-officially autistic (psychologist diagnosis, not psychiatrist), I feel ashamed about that too.

Killing myself would have saved face. It's too late to avoid being the laughing stock of my family now though. Now it'd just make me seem weak.


What was your major by the way? Did you manage to graduate?


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06 Feb 2016, 4:27 pm

I think support site like this help. I met two friends of a social anxiety site and we have all talk about our mental issues. There is kind of less of taboo when you already know there is less pretense.

Another friend has a support worker who I also consider a kind of friend. He told me about his history of self harm and anorexia. I had known him for a some years before. It was more that it was on holiday so I guess we were more relaxed.



Pergerlady
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06 Feb 2016, 4:30 pm

Our society needs to get rid of the stigma against men expressing their emotions, and the notion that men have to be "tough and manly." Too many men end up having to suppress their emotions only because people will ridicule them for being "sissies" if they don't do so.



Sabreclaw
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06 Feb 2016, 4:36 pm

Deltaville wrote:
Sabreclaw wrote:
Only reason I became open about my feelings was that they led me to failing University, so I could no longer hide the truth from my parents. It was either spill the beans or suffer mother's wrath for being a lazy little s**tbag. The idea of having mental illnesses is embarrassing and I'm deeply ashamed that I haven't been able to put mind over matter. And now that I'm semi-officially autistic (psychologist diagnosis, not psychiatrist), I feel ashamed about that too.

Killing myself would have saved face. It's too late to avoid being the laughing stock of my family now though. Now it'd just make me seem weak.


What was your major by the way? Did you manage to graduate?


Mathematical Modelling, it's called. In essence it's maths stuff that has some relation to IT. And no, I haven't graduated. I'm going to attempt a part-time trimester again this year. Hopefully I avoid making an ass of myself this time.



Deltaville
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06 Feb 2016, 4:41 pm

Sabreclaw wrote:
Deltaville wrote:
Sabreclaw wrote:
Only reason I became open about my feelings was that they led me to failing University, so I could no longer hide the truth from my parents. It was either spill the beans or suffer mother's wrath for being a lazy little s**tbag. The idea of having mental illnesses is embarrassing and I'm deeply ashamed that I haven't been able to put mind over matter. And now that I'm semi-officially autistic (psychologist diagnosis, not psychiatrist), I feel ashamed about that too.

Killing myself would have saved face. It's too late to avoid being the laughing stock of my family now though. Now it'd just make me seem weak.


What was your major by the way? Did you manage to graduate?


Mathematical Modelling, it's called. In essence it's maths stuff that has some relation youto IT. And no, I haven't graduated. I'm going to attempt a part-time trimester again this year. Hopefully I avoid making an ass of myself this time.


You mean Applied Mathematics? I think you will do well in it, I finished with a degree in pure math for instance.


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06 Feb 2016, 4:43 pm

Between the age of 16 and 25 many young men I knew made the decision to end their lives, for most of them there wasn't a warning/behaviour antecedent, except that two of them made that decision directly after a relationship break up.
My take on it was that they were experiencing too much inner turmoil, and when overloaded, small problems became overwhelming; at that point in early adulthood the supports are more emergency/reactionary.
If people learn how to be emotionally healthy in childhood they will carry those strategies into adulthood, much the same as a child raised in a physically active household will carry the exercise and diet requirements to be healthy into adulthood.
I think formal educational systems need to allocate time for softer subjects e.g. instead of just physical education take a holistic educational approach, inclusive of psychological well being, life skills, nutrition etc.
I have no ideas on how society will make the change, to move away from the current stigmas, but I guess everything starts with a discussion.



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06 Feb 2016, 4:49 pm

I think talking is great but sometimes they need professional help.

Also there is a risk of being emotional manipulated. It almost happened to me. This person had problems, mostly due to parents/upbringing. She was also somebody who tried to emotionally offload to me whilst drunk, ask to sleep with me, crying, leaning on me so I had to hold her up. The most annoying thing was her leaning on me with her hair/wet hair product in my face. I had to get her safely to the train station, which was a chore with her behaviour. She had threatened suicide before, made claims about another guy which I think was more to make me interested. I felt really bad for the guy, becuase others had been the at the time, when he was supposed have pulled a knife which was complete fantasy. There was not reason for this, they were only loose acquaintances but I think he had seen through her BS.



sly279
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06 Feb 2016, 5:25 pm

0_equals_true wrote:
sly279 wrote:
Why do anything?

So people have a higher standard of life are happier, etc.

Are you equating suicide to self-euthanasia? I'm pro-euthanasia.


The men who commit suicide are men that society deems worthless or losers. One would say this is just nature at work. I don't see women at large wanting to do anything for those men. I don't see other men who see themselves as better doing anything either. Leaves just us men no one cares about. Probably why this issue hasn't gotten any real attention in news or government. Sad but suppose it's just how things work.

On the issue of euthanasia what's the difference between using a drug to do it or hanging, knife etc is the drug death somehow considered more civilized ? 0.o

Kinda odd like when cops threaten to shoot a suicidal man, um he wants to die so why would he be afraid of being shot to death.



0_equals_true
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06 Feb 2016, 5:28 pm

sly279 wrote:
The men who commit suicide are men that society deems worthless or losers. One would say this is just nature at work. I don't see women at large wanting to do anything for those men. I don't see other men who see themselves as better doing anything either. Leaves just us men no one cares about. Probably why this issue hasn't gotten any real attention in news or government. Sad but suppose it's just how things work.


This your assumption, not born out by the evidence. These can be average people, and even successful people.



sly279
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06 Feb 2016, 5:44 pm

Most are not successful people . Usually it's the last act of desperation

Successful people only usually do it after they've lost everything. Like a ceo going bankrupt. Or a executive about to get arrested for fraud. I'd wager most suicides are poor single men.

Successful people are usually too busy enjoying their success. Poor people are too busy worrying about their failures and if they'll have a home next week which leads to depression a lot more then being successful and having everything you want or desire.

Robin Williams is the only successful person I can think of who killed themselves. I don't include those who over dose on drugs accidentally.

So yes not all are but most are.



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06 Feb 2016, 5:51 pm

sly279 wrote:
So yes not all are but most are.

By the definition you have stated much of the population would commit suicide at one point. It is around 0.1%